Netanyahu’s office said the prime minister convened an emergency consultation with Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Sunday. After reports of a ceasefire violation by the militant group, Israeli security forces struck southern Gaza after prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s direction to launch “strong action” against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.
In a statement released late Saturday, Netanyahu’s office said the prime minister convened an emergency consultation with Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and top security officials after the alleged breach. “Following a ceasefire violation by Hamas, Prime Minister Netanyahu held consultations with the defence minister and senior security officials and instructed them to take strong action against terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.
The development comes amid fragile efforts to maintain a truce between Israel and Hamas after months of escalating violence. The Israeli military said on Sunday that air force fighter jets carried out air strikes in Gaza’s Rafah area to remove a threat after “terrorists” opened fire on troops. It said the militants’ actions blatantly “violated” the ceasefire agreement, adding that the military would respond firmly.
Hamas’ reaction
Meanwhile, Hamas’ armed wing insisted that the group is adhering to the ceasefire agreement with Israel and was unaware of any clashes in Rafah, where the Israeli military carried out air strikes. “We reaffirm our full commitment to implement everything that was agreed upon, foremost of which is a ceasefire across all areas of the Gaza Strip,” the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades said in a statement.
“We have no knowledge of any incidents or clashes taking place in the Rafah area, as these are red zones under the occupation’s control, and contact with the remaining groups of ours there has been cut off since the war resumed in March of this year.”
